Sprint nabs an exclusive red HTC One complete with NextRadio app

Sprint is winding down the summer with red-hot news for HTC One fans as an exclusive color variant of the popular Android handset lands in stores tomorrow.

Sprint today announced that the HTC One will now be available in a sultry shade of crimson as part of an exclusive deal between the carrier and manufacturer.

Beginning Friday, Aug. 16, Sprint customers will be able to purchase an HTC One in either red, silver or black, priced at $199 with a two-year agreement for new customers and those with eligible upgrades.

Sprint's exclusive doesn't bode well for rumors that Verizon Wireless might get the HTC One in red, leaving Big Red customers to wait and wonder what the future may have in store for them. Verizon, oddly enough, is rumored to carry a blue variant, whenever the phone launches on its network.

Radio to go

Sprint is also the first U.S. carrier with access to NextRadio, a free app available from Google Play which brings live, interactive FM radio into the palm of your hand.

Instead of streaming from an internet connection, NextRadio taps into the FM tuner built into the HTC One or HTC EVO 4G LTE handsets, offering up to three times the battery life of other music apps.

There's just one caveat: Sprint customers will need to plug earbuds, headphones or speaker wire into the 3.5mm stereo audio jack of their handset, turning it into an antenna for the FM radio.

Should you be in the market for more than one new phone, all three shades of Sprint's HTC One are now included as part of the carrier's buy one, get one free promotion, which kicks off tomorrow and runs through Aug. 30.

• No HTC for you? Check out our full review of Motorola's Moto X!